November, 1913 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



263 



Ontario Apples Ready for Shipment to the Western Markets 



Some, Idea of the extent of Ontario's oonsignmenta of apples to the west may be gaiaed from 

 IMS illustration, which represents one d»-l's shipments at Point Edward. Ont.. to the west. 



vince. There is, however, this differ- 

 ence : Norfolk farmers have learned that 

 the small area on which their orchards 

 stand could be made the most profitable 

 part of their farm. It took time and 

 patience to show this, but under the 

 practical stimulus of Jas. E. Johnson, 

 the energetic manager of the Fruit 

 Growers' Association, this has been 

 realized. 



It is from these orchards, scattered 

 all over the county, that the high class 

 fruit is secured for the Toronto Fruit 



Show. How do they select it? This is 

 done very systematically. In estimating 

 the amount of fruit the association will 

 have to market, notification is given 

 where the best fruit is being produced 

 for that season. 



In doing their picking and packing 

 in the fall, these growers are able to 

 forward some of their best to the cen- 

 tral storage in Simcoe where it is later 

 carefully sorted and packed in the boxes 

 as you see it each year at the Exhibi- 

 tion held in Toronto in November. 



More Anent Fall Plowing 



F. W. Brady, 



I have read with interest the article 

 on fall plowing which appeared in the 

 C^.'lc'ber issue of The Canadian Horticul- 

 turist. As my first experience with fruit 

 was obtained in the Cornwallis Valley of 

 Nova Scotia, I know that with the condi- 

 tions under which Mr. Blanchard writes, 

 fall plowing may have some advantages. 

 In the interior of British Columbia, and 

 in the colder parts of Nova Scotia, New 

 Brunswick, Quelx,'c or Ontario, however, 

 I would not advise fall plowing under 

 any circumstances. It is directly injur- 

 ious. 



The practice of sowing a cover crop 

 has become general in these colder dis- 

 tricts. The great advantage of this 

 cover crop is that it holds the snow, pre- 

 vents deep freezing of the soil and thus 

 |)rotccts the roots during winter. 



During the winter of 1907-9, I demoii- 

 strafed in the Kootenay district the bene- 

 fit of having a cover crop. Of two or- 

 chards side by side, one had a cover cro|) 

 the other had not — in the latter abopt 



Kamloops, B. C. 



twenty-five per cent, of the trees winter- 

 killed. When plowed under in the fall 

 the protection which a cover crop affords 

 is lost. Then, too, fall plowing opens 

 up the soil, the roots dry out, and winter 

 killing results. 



DANGER IN MILD DISTRICTS 



Even in such favored sections as the 

 Annapolis Valley or the Niagara District 

 fall plowing has its disadvantages. If 

 begun too early, as in September or early 

 October, the trees may take on renewed 

 vigor and not become fully dormant, 

 hence winter injury results. 



With cover crops which live over the 

 -spring, much additional humus is added 

 to the soil if they are not plowed down in 

 the fall. Although fall plowing increases 

 the amount of available plant food it is 

 an open question in my mind if any gain 

 may not be lost by washing and leeching 

 of the soil. When fall plowing is prac- 

 ticed the furrows are generally thrown 

 against the trees. Quite often the soil 

 freezes lo the trunks, (lie bark is injured 



and collar rot or canker may set in. 

 Should the orchard be in bearing it is 

 a much easier matter to work under the 

 trees in the spring because in the fall the 

 branches have not had time to gain a 

 more upright position after having been 

 bent down with a load of fruit. Late fall 

 or early spring spraying with concentrat- 

 ed lime sulphur or white wash is a much 

 more pleasant operation when one is not 

 obliged to dfive over furrows. 



A DirFEREJSTT VIEW 



Whether or not time is saved by fall 

 plowing is, I believe, a debatable ques- 

 tion. More particularly when a large 

 crop is to be handled, the energy and 

 equipment of the grower are then taxed 

 to the limit to get the crop picked, pack- 

 ed and marketed. Under such condi- 

 tions it is advisable to put off plowing 

 until the spring and begin then as early 

 ns possible. 



The Fall Web Worm 



A pest frequently noticed in the or- 

 chard during the month of August is 

 the fall web worm (Hyphantria textor). 

 This insect should not be confused with 

 the tent caterpillar (Malacosoma Ameri- 

 cana), which builds its nest earlier in the 

 season. At the time when the web worm 

 appears on the branches of the trees 

 the tent caterpillar is in the egg stage. 



Close observation will reveal that 

 these two insects are quite dissimilar in 

 habits. Probably the most notable differ- 

 ence is in the character of the web. The 

 web of the tent caterpillar is usually 

 found in the crotch of limbs, while that 

 of the web worm is generally seen on 

 the ends of the branches. The tent 

 caterpillars remain in the web during 

 the night, or when resting, and emerge 

 only at feeding time. The web worm 

 does not leave the web at all and extends 

 the web as new feeding ground is re- 

 quired. For this reason the web 'be- 

 comes verv unsightly, being filled with 

 the cast-off skins and excrement of the 

 insects. In feeding habits these two in- 

 sects are also quite different. The tent 

 caterpillar devours the whole leaf, while 

 the web worm feeds only on the upper 

 surface, giving the leaves that charac- 

 teristic brown appearance. 



The parent moth of this caterpillar is 

 pure white in appearance with occa- 

 sional black spots. It spends the win- 

 ter in a cocoon and appears in early 

 summer. The eggs are laid in patches 

 on the under side of the leaves. The 

 caterpillars emerge in July and August, 

 and at once proceed to form their web. 

 When full grown they are about one 

 inch in length. They then spin their 

 cocoon and pass the winter in this stage. 



The most convenient method of com- 

 bating this pest Is to cut off the webs 

 as soon ns thev are noticeable. As the 

 webs are usually found at the ends of 



